Instagram To Fight Hackers With Two-Factor Authentication

Instagram is finally about to offer better protection to its users this year by rolling out a two-factor authentication. Find out more about the new security feature Instagram is testing out.
( Yash Gooly | Pixabay )

Advertisement

Instagram is one of the top go-to social media sites for both private individuals and high-profile public figures like Taylor Swift, the Kardashians and Justin Bieber, which means it is also a go-to site for hackers who do not have to work that hard to illegally gain access to people's accounts. After a little more than five years since its launch, Instagram is finally giving its users better security by employing a two-factor authentication.

Instagram celebrated having a community of 400 million users in September 2015, so the additional two-factor authentication security is a much needed service. Especially since its parent company, Facebook, rolled out its "Login Approvals" in 2011.

A user spotted the social media site testing two-factor authentication in its site, and Instagram confirmed to Josh Constine on Tuesday that the company is indeed rolling out the much needed security measure.

For users who have been victimized by hackers, Instagram's move is a little late, but it is very welcome news, nonetheless. After all, the social media site has been operating for more than half a decade already, and it should not have waited to reach and exceed 400 million users before it decided to actually offer protection.

So how will Instagram's new security feature work when it finally rolls out?

Instagram's two-factor authentication will allow its users to add a phone number where Instagram can send an authentication code to if an account is accessed from an unverified gadget. The code must then be entered, along with the username and password to gain access.

No need to worry in case your phone gets stolen or breaks down, an early test showed that Instagram is working on a two-factor reset code, too. This will enable a user to still gain access to their account as long as they save or do a screen capture of the reset code in the beginning of the process.